


A Place to Belong

by Purplepulu



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit, But it's cus the author is crazy abt that ship, Families of Choice, Foxes, Friendship, Gen, Hints of Roronoa Zoro/Sanji, Illusions, Major Original Character(s), No Relationship(s), Not Beta Read, Original Character-centric, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Pre-Time Skip, Reference to Ohara, Secrets, We all love Luffy, it's not relevant to the plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purplepulu/pseuds/Purplepulu
Summary: Robin was not the only survivor of her destroyed hometown. Another had survived, though no one knew of her existence--an unknown resident living in the shadows.Meet Yuuki; Devil fruit user of the Inu-Inu no Mi, Model: Kitsune.And this is her story.





	1. Meeting Strangers with weird Behaviors

With a look of fear in her eyes, she ran.

She ran and she ran and she ran.

She had no idea where she's going but it didn't matter. All she wanted was to get out of here. She wanted to be anyplace but here. Even the deepest pit of hell seems like a great idea at this moment.

She felt wet liquid trickle down her face and she frowned.

Strange. It can't be tears. She hadn't cried in forever. Ever since she resolved herself to be strong which meant cutting off her emotions.

Emotions made her weak. Fear makes her weak.

She couldn't afford to be weak again.

To her relief, it wasn't tears but the rain. It started raining without warning, as though it was some sort of premonition of something from the heavens.

Though the rain slowed her down, it also helped to cover her tracks, effectively washing away her footprints and hiding her.

She was grateful to the rain. Mother Nature has never failed her. In her days out in the cold unforgiving world, she found comfort in what Mother Nature has to offer. The forest fed her well, the rivers filled her thirst, the stars made sure she's never lost and the moon provides her the light she needed to feel safe.

It was all she ever knew and it was all she'll ever need.

At least that's what she taught till everything went south.

Her home was gone. The forest, the trees, the river, the ugly buildings, even the people were gone.

Even the skies which were always filled with stars were now covered with smoke and haze as black as soot.

Everything was gone.

It happened so fast even she wasn't clear what had transpired. One second she was minding her own business in the woods and the next, red hot flames blasted right at her, throwing her off balance and sending her into unconsciousness for a split-second.

When she awoke, her back burned while her whole body ached. She remembered slowly getting up and witnessing the horrific events of the town she once knew as Ohara. Everything was on fire. People were dying left and right. Screams filled the air and cries of help were heard but yet no one was doing anything about it.

She was scared. Her instincts told her to run--to run and run and never look back. But then, the human side of her mind halted her body. She wanted to help; she wanted to do something instead of standing here like a fool.

Another blast rocked the whole island and that's when she lost to her instincts and fled.

She ran. As fast as she could blindly through the forest that was burning down rapidly as ashes and smog coated onto her. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and felt her breath hitch when she breathed in too much smoke. But still she ran.

Because she knew she might die if she stopped.

Soon, the forest parted and she could see the shores. Huge ships surrounded the shores with muscular man wearing all white aboard. They were shouting out words which she couldn't register because of her panic. It didn't matter to her because right now her number one priority was to survive.

She knew she cannot be seen by these men. They were the ones who were destroying her home. They were the cause of it all.

But she needed to get away and the only way out was their ship.

So, as stealthily as she could be with her small body, she rushed pass the men, hoping that even if they saw her, she could still escape their grasp.

"What the!" She heard a man yell but paid no attention and continued her mad dash to the ship.

"Why the hell is there a fox here?!"

The man's yell brought others to turn their attention to her but still she continued to run. She managed to get onto the plank and rushed onto the deck of the ship.

The men there was as shocked as her when they saw a fox on-board and there was a moment of stillness between the two.

She took this chance to quickly duck under the legs of the guy closest to him and made her way towards a door that seems to lead downwards.

She had to find somewhere to hide and her best bet was to hide in somewhere dark and small till they set sail.

She did so and she heard the numerous footsteps near her but none of them managed to find her hiding spot. She guessed they must have given up the search because hours later she felt the ship moving, taking her away from the only home she knew.

She must have fallen asleep for a long time due to the stress and fatigue she suffered because when she next woke up, the ship had docked on some island in order to stock up.

She quickly took the chance to escape the ship and into town.

* * *

And thus her life of jumping ships started. For the past 20 years, she had been moving from island to island, town to town, surviving on her own as a fox. She was never one to settle down in a spot, choosing to move on before she finds herself too attached to a place.

She survived mainly through the help of Mother Nature and while She has taken good care of her all these time, she also tried to return the favor.

She protected crops from thieves, guarded the forests from destroyers and rescued animals from poachers that she came across. She did all she could in order to protect those in front of her. Never again does she want to feel the feelings of loss when her hometown was destroyed. She may be only living there as an animal, but the people there treated her kindly and even spare her a few pieces of meat from time to time.

When she's free, she loved to spend her time among these people, silently observing them as they go about their day. Most of them were researchers and they spent their time talking and looking at books. Even when they noticed her staring, they didn't seem to mind and enjoyed having an animal companion by their sides. It was a really enjoyable time for her. One she'll never forget as long as she lives.

So it came the time of the year again when she decides to leave the island she was on and head elsewhere, someplace preferably warmer perhaps.

She made her way down to the docks, idly eavesdropping on people's conversations as she passed.

_It seems like the town is really noisy today._ She observed.

Onryx Island ; It was a small island--with only 1 district and a village--that she stayed at for the past year and has always been a quiet place with little visitors from the outside. The villagers get their earnings from mining as there were a lot of minerals found on this island. Due to that however, the town get visits from pirates who heard about the town's reputation and there were also marines stationed here to fight the pirates off. Sometimes things get out of hand and buildings get destroyed but oh well, that's life. The people adapted to it and live out their lives here to their fullest.

But for her, she couldn't care less about that or anything about pirates, marines or treasure. She had her hands—or paws—full with just surviving each day with barely enough food to fill her belly. Each and every day is a challenge and she works hard to ensure she has enough food to last the day and the day after otherwise she'll find herself starving to death.

Once at the docks, one ship caught her eye. Compared to other ships docked there, this was a small one and what was unique about it was the sheep's head on the front of the ship! The sheep's eyes were huge and round and she found herself drawn to it.

It was cute in a weird way and she decided that's the ship she wants to be on till it brings her to the next island.

Hopping on-board, she noticed the ship has a homey feeling to it. The ship looks old and battered, patched up clumsily with what looks like wooden planks and nails but she could tell that the ship is loved though badly maintained. There was a pirate flag flying high above the ship with a funny-looking Strawhat on the skull.

_This ship keeps getting better and better._ She thought with a grin.

She glanced around for any humans aboard but with relieved to find there was none.

_What sort of pirates leaves their ship unattended like this? It's like begging for someone to steal it_. She scoffed.

The rustle of leaves caught her attention and she found that there were some orange trees above the ship. She couldn't help but drooled a little because she hasn't eaten yet today due to some mangy old cat that didn't want her on his territory.

A fight had broken out, one that she easily won but it left her hungrier than before. Which was why she decided now's a perfect time to leave this stupid island and move on. Hopefully to an island with lots of meat; so much meat that she'll never be hungry for the rest of her life again.

She swiftly hopped onto the stairs and swipe an orange from the tree with her mouth and landed perfectly on the deck. The orange's skin was difficult to peel with her teeth but she managed. Sure, she could eat the thing whole but she dislike the feel of the rough skin in her mouth. The fox part of her didn't care but it was the human part of her that made things difficult. It's always the human part that made life difficult. She would rather abandon it all and live a life as a fox but alas, she couldn't completely get rid of her annoying human thoughts.

She's human and at the same time, animal. Two sides of a same coin. She had learned to accept this many years ago but it didn't mean she enjoyed it.

After she had her fill, she laid down on one of the steps of the staircase and promptly fell into a nice, deep sleep. Her instincts told her there would be a storm coming soon but right now her human side didn't care. With her belly full as it hadn't been for ages, she was content with just staying still on this weird little ship and whatever happens, happens.

* * *

Her instincts were right as usual and the wind that blew through the port was a strong one. She hoped the ship would get moving soon so she won't get caught in the storm. She was kind of glad she decided to leave this place today, who knows what disaster the huge storm would bring to a small town like this.

She shivered a little as a strong wind blew past her fur and she tried huddling closer to the corners of the ship, hoping it would at least block out some wind. She considered hiding indoors but as all the doors were closed, she would have to use her human hands to open them and that would be a hassle. Paws were useless to work with on those door handles.

Another wind plus some occasional raindrops slashed onto her face and she made up her mind to quickly get inside. Huffing a little, she got up to her feet and went to the closest door to her.

The change was instantaneous. One moment she was a fox, the next she's a human with auburn hair that reached up to her waist, two slanted ember-colored eyes and slightly tan limbs that felt awkward to move in. She was a little short for a woman of her age but she guessed it was due to her living as a fox for a majority of her life. Considering she should be around her late 20s, she looked as though she's only a teenager due to her height and her soft baby-like face.

She noted that she was still wearing a much worn out cloth that covered her important parts but didn't remember when she actually got it. It must have been years ago from when she actually wore clothing and it transformed with her when she turned into a fox. She absolutely didn't understand how that work but she didn't really care all that much, just chalk it up to something that was made possible due to her Devil Fruit powers.

She opened the door with her hands and was immediately assaulted by the delicious aroma filling the room. Even in her human form, her sense of smell was heightened and better than an average human but not as great as when she's an actual fox. She smelled spices, fresh bread, herbs and best of all, she smells meat!

Her mouth started salivating and she ran—stumbled due to her clumsy two human feet—towards where the smell was the strongest. However, she found that she couldn't open the large metal contraption holding the meat inside.

Snarling, she kicked the huge chunk of junk which only resulted in a painful hiss that escaped from her lips and a sore foot. She turned away from the large container and decided it was not worth the effort, her nose told her that there was more food elsewhere in this room.

After doing a little sniffing around, she found a small door that contained more food and some disgusting vegetables. But her stomach growled and she wasn't going to picky with food right in her face. It wasn't meat but it'll do. She bit into one juicy, red tomato and to her surprise; her human tongue enjoyed the taste of the soft, sweet flesh in her mouth. She hasn't ate in her human form for ages that she had forgotten how different an animal's taste buds was different from a human's.

She ate a few more tomatoes and some apples that were gathered in a box in a corner and finally had her fill. She shifted into her fox form and settled down on the soft, comfy seat before drifting into a light nap.

She could hear the fierce wind howling beyond the walls and was glad she decided to hide in here before she got caught in the storm outside. Not only did the room have a nice smell, but it was also warm and relaxing.

Her ear twitched; catching sounds of footsteps approaching and hurried ones at that.

She quickly perked up when she heard more noises from outside and it's not due to the storm.

Something was happening. Something that sounded like a fight breaking out.

But that's not what she's concerned right now. The sounds of footsteps was getting closer and she quickly hopped off the seat and ducked into one of the cabinets under the sink where she knew she'd be hidden from whoever enters through the door.

Moments passed as she waited with patience thanks to her fox. If it was her human self she'd have run out of patience a long time ago and rush out like an idiot. Seriously, it was thanks to her fox side that she survived this long.

The door slammed open and someone came running in. She almost gasped out loud when she saw the man.

That man has an abnormally long nose!

Is that natural? Or did he have a Devil Fruit just like her? She knew that her ears were a little pointed at the tip when she's in a human form. She didn't like it because people used to pick on her about it. But that was a distant time from a long time ago.

This got her wondering. Has this man been picked on before for his nose?

Before she could ponder about it some more, a woman's voice shouted from outside and the man answered her call and rushed out.

She continued to wait out a while longer, listening to any sign of danger but the storm outside had gotten worse and all she could hear was the howling of the wind and occasionally the yelling of the woman outside.

If she concentrated hard enough, she could understand what the woman was screaming outside. Something like: "Unfurl the sails", "lift anchor" and other technical terms that doesn't mean anything to her.

She felt the ship started moving and blew out a small breath of relief.

_Finally_. She thought. _Took them long enough to set sail._

But then a thought struck her.

_Wait. Why are they setting out in a middle of a storm? Isn't that dangerous, especially for a small ship like this?_

She didn't know what the people on this crew was thinking but she hoped she didn't regret her choice for choosing this ship to hitch a ride on.

More shouts and yells were heard, followed by gunshots and even cannon fire and she was really starting to question her choice.

One thing for sure, she picked a ship full of crazy nut-jobs to set sail with. She just hoped the next island comes by fast so she can quickly escape from these people. She doesn't want to stick around and get in trouble. She's used to a life of living in hiding and she'd do anything to keep it that way.

* * *

She must had dozed off at some point from all the commotion happening because she found herself waking up to the sound of running water and fresh smells of food.

She almost rushed out in a hurry at the first smell of meat however the human presence in the room made her wary.

She poked her nose out of the cabinet through a small slot and sniffed. Besides the overwhelming smell of delicious meat in the room, she also smelled the scent of smoke, and it's not the good kind of smoke; not the kind of smoke when you cook food over a fire but the smelly one, the one where humans stick funny-looking paper sticks into their mouth and light it to produce foul smelling fumes that always assaulted her sensitive nose.

And there it was now, the blond hair human was sucking on the foul stick and smoke was coming out from it. Her poor nose couldn't take it anymore.

She wrinkled it left and right, trying to stop it from twitching but alas she couldn't hold it in and she sneezed.

There was a deafening silence in the room and she was almost certain the human heard her. She stilled herself and held her breath, ready to run at the first sign of danger.

There was a shuffling sound to her right and she knew that the human was searching through the area. Sooner or later, the human will reach were she's hiding and find her.

Panicking a little, she quickly looked around her small compartment to see if there's anything that could help her but all she found was weird bottles that smelled of fruits. But she knew it was definitely not fruits in there.

The human was getting closer and she was stuck in the cabinet like a rat. Funny how she's suppose to be a fierce predator but now cornered like a prey. She shook her head to get rid of that thought.

No. She had been stuck in tougher situations before and she always managed to get out of it just fine. She's a survivor. Always has been and will continue to be.

She tensed when she heard the human got closer and when the human was right at her door, she sprung. Her strong hind legs coupled with the element of surprise helped to topple the human over as the male yelp in surprise. She took the opportunity to quickly dash for the open door, panic setting in and overriding her thoughts. Her animal instincts screamed at her to run and all she could care about was to escape this place.

She dashed out into the open and her fur was immediately wet with rain from the storm. The storm had subsided a little as the ship sailed away from the island but the raindrops were still harsh against her fur and irritating her nose.

The sea surrounded her and the violent waves rocked the ship back and forth. Her sharp eyes took in her surroundings for a place to hide and she spotted the hatch being opened.

A boy with a ratty old hat poked his head out from the hatch and she took this opportunity to hop past him and into the deck below. She knew she'll have more places to hide below deck then above. And she'd be safer too because if they actually managed to catch her, at least they couldn't throw her into the sea right away.

"Wha—!" The boy exclaims but she quickly ran pass him down into the room below.

When she landed, she instantly regretted her choice when the foul stench of sweat and odor drifted throughout the room. Strangely, there was a smell of an animal too but so far, she has not seen any on the ship.

_This must be where the men sleep..._.She groaned internally. Great. She hoped that she wouldn't accidentally see something she's not supposed to.

She eyed the couch at the corner with longing but decided to settle in one of the corners so she'd be hidden well. She was exhausted after everything that happened today and now she's wet and shivering.

She shook the water off her fur and settled her head on her front paws.

She hates this.

She hated living like this; no home, no shelter, no belonging. Not knowing whether or not you'll get to eat the next day. Not knowing whether you'll even get to live through the year much less the week and not knowing whether there's any meaning to living like this.

But still she continues to live on because her fox would not let her give up. She was grateful but at the same time hateful for it. It's because of her Devil Fruit powers that she's alone but it's also because of her powers that she found a lifeline to hold onto. Being a fox has taught her freedom, which was something she'd had never found if she remained human and lived with a human family.

Another shiver wracked through her body and she curled in on herself even more. Her fur should keep her warm but she still feel so cold and empty inside.

* * *

The human that she toppled over must have informed the others about her because she can hear a stampede of footsteps above her. She wondered why they aren't searching below deck since she was sure that hat boy surely saw her when she went pass him.

She kept her ears perked just in case as she laid down. She was still exhausted and would rather not run anymore if she could help it.

After a long moment of footsteps thumping here and there, the hatch above finally opened and light filtered in through the small hole. She flattened herself to the wall and held herself as still as she could, hoping she was invisible.

A high cheerful voice sounded throughout the room in a loud whisper.

"Hey fox! I know you're here. Come out!"

She rolled her eyes at that. _What idiot would come out when asked to?_

"I have meat!"

Apparently she's that idiot because the smell of meat got her out of her hiding place and running towards the lump of delicious meat in the boy's hands.

She snatched it out of his hands and quickly ran out of his reach before turning to face him. The meat in her jaws made her salivate but she kept her eyes on the boy.

The boy didn't make any movements but had a big, wide smile on his face as he stared at her. His eyes were bright with excitement and curiosity that told her that he has no intention of harming her at all.

She couldn't stand it much longer and bit down hard onto the meat in her mouth. Immediately, the warm juices from the meat came rushing out, filling her mouth with such ecstasy that she felt faint.

How could a piece of meat ever taste so good?! She never had anything like this!

"Shishishi~ Tasty right? Sanji makes the best meat!" The boy laughed as he watched her.

She didn't bother to look up as she's too busy devouring every single piece of meat to the bone.

When she's finished, she almost felt disappointed that she didn't savor it enough.

The boy chuckled, turning her attention back to him.

"There's more if you want. There's lots of meat during lunch!"

_More meat?!_ Her ears perked up at that. This boy doesn't seem dangerous and seems like he genuinely wants her to join him for lunch instead of _have_ her for lunch. Plus he doesn't look strong, so maybe she could fight her way out of worse come to worse.

The boy nodded happily when he noted her lack of aggression and pointed upwards.

"Yoshi! Let's go eat!"

Nodding her tiny head excitedly, she hopped up onto the boy's shoulders and let him climbed up the ladder to the deck while she held on.

As soon as the boy's feet hit the deck, he made a mad dash to the room she was previously in, yelling: "SANJI!!! FOOD!!!"

Luckily, she was fast enough to let go of the boy otherwise she'd have been dragged along with him.

She heard a angry shout from where the boy disappeared to and then he came flying out the door followed by the blond man she saw earlier.

"Wait till I call you shitty rubber!" The man yelled but she detected no trace of anger in his tone.

"Ehh....But I'm hungry...." The hat boy whined. He shifted his eyes onto her and grinned. "And she's hungry too!"

The blond followed the other boy's glance and finally saw her standing there. His eyes grew wide with surprise and then frowned. "How did a fox manage to get onboard? Did you pick it up from somewhere?"

"She's a she! And she's going to be joining the crew!" The boy declared excitedly.

_Wait. WHAT?!_

She never said anything about joining this crazy crew! She only wanted meat, not to sign up to a life of thievery and endless journeys. (Although that kind of sounds like what she's doing with her life right now anyways.)

It must have been obvious on her furry face because the blond spoke up.

"See. Even a fox wouldn't want to join this fuck-up crew. Now stop asking random creatures to join us. We already have an alcoholic marimo and a talking reindeer, we don't need another animal." The blond slowly walked back to the room, dismissing the boy completely.

"Meanie...." The hat boy pouted and folded his arms childishly. He then turned to look at her and grinned, the kind of grin a mischievous child might have when they're up to something naughty.

And it was directed at her.

She couldn't help but feel something bad was about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another multi-chapter! Though I should really be trying to finish my other one first.....But inspiration took hold and I'm feverishly working on this for now. This is my first work of having an original character being the MC so I'm a bit nervous at how it'll turn out. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this. There will be irregular updates so please be patient with me on this. Thanks and please leave a review on this.<3


	2. Warming Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuki meets the rest of the Strawhats.

"Come back!!"

Luffy's voice was heard throughout the whole ship and the Strawhats looked up from their task and wondered what their crazy captain was trying to do now.

Sanji came out from the galley and almost got knocked over by the rubber ball dashing at full speed across the ship.

"What the hell are you doing Luffy?!" He yelled angrily but his shouts were ignored.

Zoro was peacefully sleep on deck next to the railing and got his stomach stomped by a soft paws followed by hard sandals.

"LUFFY!"

Nami and Robin came up the hatch with Usopp following a couple of seconds behind, only to catch a glimpse of orange blur followed by their laughing captain.

"Luffy! What are you doing now?!" Nami shouted after him with exasperation while Robin just watched in amusement.

"LOOK! LOOK!" Their captain laughed excitedly. "Look how fast she is!" He pointed at something ahead but none of them could see what it was.

"She's going to be our new Nakama!" Luffy declared proudly.

"Oh god...." Nami put a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Not again...."

"Stop it Luffy! You're scaring her!" Chopper burst out from below deck and ran towards the creature.

"I'm not! I just want her to join our crew!" Luffy huffed.

"It's a fox! Foxes can't join a pirate crew! Are you going to recruit every kind of animal you see along the way?" Nami yelled and then quickly added. "No offense Chopper."

"She's not just a fox!" Luffy protested. "She can understand me! And she loves meat just like me!"

Nobody really understands why Luffy needed to add that last part in, as though anyone who loves meat would classify as a good person in Luffy's book.

"Of course the fox eats meat! Foxes are carnivores!"

"Carnival? Where?"

Nami felt like bashing her head through a concrete wall but only Robin's comforting touch made her relax a little.

While Nami and Luffy were talking, Chopper was trying to calm the wary fox down and talk to her.

"Hi, I'm Tony Tony Chopper, but everyone calls me Chopper." He said in a soft smoothing voice. "Don't worry, you're safe. No one will harm you here."

The fox sniffed the air as though smelling for danger and Chopper could see her body start to relax.

Chopper smiled at the fox. _She's pretty._ He thought as he admired her silky, brownish fur, her bushy tail and her unique coloring.

"Chopper!! Ask her to join our crew!!" Luffy yelled from afar and the fox tense up.

"Sorry about Luffy. He gets excited easily but I assure you, he'll never harm you." He smiled at the fox, happy that she seemed to understand him.

"I know he's not going to hurt me but I'd rather he not touch me with his dirty hands." The fox bristled; surprising Chopper a little because it's the first time hearing the fox talk.

"Haha..." Chopper was a little taken aback by the fox's attitude, it seems different from other animals he came across and her understanding of human language was well versed.

"I'm not joining your crew." The fox stated firmly. "I just want to hitch a ride to the next island. If you'd take me there on your vessel, I'll be very grateful."

Now Chopper's more than taken aback, he was speechless. This fox not only was well-verse in the art of human language, she's well mannered too. He didn't know there were other animals out there that study human language like him.

".....I'll have to ask my captain about that...." Chopper muttered.

"Very well."

Chopper translated what the fox said to Luffy and he was not happy.

"Ehhhh!! Why must you go? Join my crew! We'll have lots of adventures! It'll be fun!" Luffy whined.

"I rather have my life than to risk it by going out to sea." She deadpanned but only Chopper heard what the fox said.

Luffy was still making a big fuss over the fox and the rest of the crew got sick and tired of their captain's whining.

"Look." Nami interrupted her Captain's tantrum. "There's still a week till we'll reach the next island. That means she'll be stuck here on the ship with us for a week and you can try to anno—persuade her to join using this week and if she still doesn't want to, I'm sure you can accept that right Luffy?" Nami reasoned and Luffy finally quietened down.

"Fine...." he pouted.

The fox yipped something and Chopper translated it.

"She said: "Hey! What about my opinion?!""

"Well, you're now on this idiot's ship and as Captain, he has the authority to do whatever he wants to stowaways." Nami grinned evilly and the fox seemed to get what she was trying to say.

"Yes! It's decided! I'm going to make this week the best week you ever had and then you'll surely want to join my crew!"

The fox looked as though she just sigh but accepted her fate.

"So what's your name?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, it's a fox. I don't think it have a name." Nami sighed.

"She says her name is Yuuki." Chopper said and Nami's eyes bulged.

"Yuki as in snow (雪)?" Luffy asked intriguingly.

"No. _Yuuki_ (勇気) which means courage." Chopper helped translate.

"That's a great name!" Luffy grinned widely and the fox yipped in agreement.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Luffy kept bugging the poor creature to join his crew, though she couldn't vocally say no, she could still show her refusal by shaking her head and giving him a cold shoulder. All of her attempts were useless though, the idiot captain wouldn't take her refusal at all and his constant attempts to pick her up is making her hackles rise. Sooner or later, the idiot hat boy was going to have teeth marks on him.

She still couldn't believe that the idiot hat boy is a captain and is the captain of this crew called the Strawhat Pirates.

_Way to be original...._ She chuckled.

Hat boy—she learned that his name is Luffy—called her name at the top of his voice.

"Yuuki!!! Come out!! Join my crreeewww!!" He hollered.

_Oh god! When's he ever going to give up_? She lay down on the wooden floor below deck and sighed.

She didn't really hate having Luffy chase her around. It was sort of fun in a way and she never had anyone to play with for a long time. She didn't have time for fun. No time to relax when you don't even know whether you're going to survive the next day.

But here on this cute, little sheep, she felt more relax than she ever had. And it's only been hours since she was introduced and now she already felt like she belonged here. It was a strange feeling, one she cannot describe and had trouble understanding.

So why did she give them her name?

A name that she wishes she had forgotten but still held on as it was the only part she had left of herself as a human.

But she cannot get attached. She reminded herself countless times. She must never stay in one place for too long. She has to keep moving, leaving people she cared about behind while she ran and ran from monsters hiding in the shadows.

People must not know about these monsters and these monsters would like to keep it that way, which was why she has to keep moving. She wasn't sure if the monsters knew about her, but she doesn't want to take that chance. Doesn't want what happened to her home to happen to anybody else.

It was frightening. It was inhumane. It was something that shouldn't have happened. And it was all the monsters' fault.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard someone shouting.

"Dinner's ready ya bastards! And you beautiful ladies too~"

She heard numerous footsteps running before one familiar footstep stopped.

"What's wrong Luffy?"

She remembered the voice belongs to the long-nose guy.

"Yuuki's not here."

"She'll come eat when she wants to. Besides, when do you care about who's not here? You'll always eat their share anyway."

"I want her to try Sanji's food! I told her it's the greatest she'll ever eat and she's missing it!"

There was a moment of silence in the room as all the members had their mouth opened in shock.

She also had her jaw opened. She never met anyone as simple-minded as him....nor has she ever met anyone who treated her like she's a human being.

She got up on her paws and hopped up to the deck. She strolled in the room where she can smell the delicious aroma of different sort of spices, vegetables and oh, meat!

"Oh hey Yuuki!" Luffy beamed with delight the moment he laid eyes on her. The rest of the crew were more unsure about her but still welcomed her into the galley anyway.

Luffy wasn't kidding when he said he has the greatest cook in his crew. The moment she bit down into that chuck of meat, she felt her taste buds explode. She had never tasted anything this heavenly and in a second, she swallowed the whole thing down.

Immediately, she aimed for another piece of meat on Luffy's place and with her quick reflexes, stole one away from right under his nose.

"My MEAT!!" Luffy yelled and tried to snatch back his food but she was too fast. She ducked under the table and through the other side, jumping onto the long-nose's face and onto the counter by the sink. With a chomp, the meat disappeared into her mouth and she licked her lips in satisfaction.

A chorus of laughter burst out in front of her, startling her into confusion.

_What's so funny?_

"She got you good Luffy!" Long-nose laughed so hard, tears were coming out of his eyes and he clutched his stomach.

"She got some nice moves." Sword-man observed with an interesting spark in his eyes.

"You got outdone by a fox!!" The blond laughed.

"Yuuki! You can't take mine! Take the others'!" Luffy whined.

A collective "Oi!" came from everyone while the black haired woman chuckled to herself softly.

_Strange. I feel like I seen her before...._ She tilted her head in thought but can't seem to remember.

"Here, have some more." The blond man put more piece of meat in front of her on a plate and she instantly decided she likes this man.

"Eh...why are you being so nice to her and not me...." Luffy whined some more. "Is it because she's female?!"

Sword-man laughed. "So the Cook's into furries now?"

"Fuck off Marimo!" He growled back.

She didn't understand what just happened but she wanted no part in the hostility between the two of them, so she continued minding her own business by devouring all the meat in front of her.

She was so full and satisfied after the meal and for a moment she wondered if tomorrow would be the same as today. For once, she won't have to go in search of food. For once in her life, she didn't have to go hungry.

She marveled at the revelation and felt giddy with glee. She kept in mind this was not a permanent thing though, but for the rest of the week till they reach the island, she's going to enjoy her time here.


	3. Cat's Out of The Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Strawhats found out about Yuuki's secret.

"Pirates spotted!!" Usopp yelled from the Crow's nest and everyone hop to attention.

They ran onto the deck just in time to see a rundown pirate ship with a tattered Jolly Roger flying loosely in the wind.

"It'll be an easy win." Zoro grinned as he took out Wado from her sheath. He only needed one of his swords for this fight. Sanji tapped his shoes against the floor and took out a cigarette from his pack, lighting it and taking a casual drag. Luffy hopped up and down in excitement as the Monster Trio waited for the ship to get closer.

A rag-tag bunch of pirate who looks like they never heard of a shower sneered at them from their ship. They may look weak, but their numbers were nothing to laugh at.

"Look boys!! Looks like we got ourselves an easy target!" The man who appears to be the captain laughed; a high nasally laugh that made him sound like a dying hyena.

The monster Trio grinned and shared a look with one another.

These losers didn't know who they're messing with.

With a loud piercing battle cry from the captain, the enemies came charging onto Merry, bringing along their foul smell and the battle was on.

Usopp had cowered at first but did end up providing some aerial cover from afar, he was pretty much doing hit and run tactics aboard the small ship while Nami was also running and waving her Clima tact around and hitting people on the head with it. With enemies all over the small ship, it was likely she'd hit one of her crew mates with her lightning attack and she didn't want to risk that.

Robin was snapping people's backs left and right while Chopper tried his best to withstand the foul smell and fight in his heavy point.

And their newest addition aboard was making herself useful by showing that she too, can fight.

A flash of orange blur was all the enemy was able to see before ferocious teeth and claws sunk into their skin, ripping out flesh and blood. Screams were heard all around and many who were bitten quickly retreated.

"Whoa! Good job Yuuki!" Luffy cheered as he kicked another pirate off his ship.

Usopp gulped and turned pale as he witnessed the scene while Nami just watched on in surprise.

Who knew a little fox like her could do so much damage?

As the fight continues, the trio was mowing down the enemies with ease until the pirates decided to start pulling dirty tricks such as shooting their ship with their cannons. The poor Merry rocked from the impact and everyone tried to keep their balance.

"H-Hey! Stop h-hurting my Merry!" Usopp shouted even as he struggled to keep his voice steady.

The Merry compared to their ship, only has one cannon below deck and it was useless against the numerous ones they had on their large ship. However, Luffy easily repelled the cannonballs with his Gomu Gomu no Balloon and sent it back to where they came from.

Even as their ship was in pieces and slowly sinking, they continued their onslaught of cannonballs but the trio just kept repelling the cannonballs back to them.

"Persistent aren't they?" Sanji frowned, annoyed that they are wasting his precious time when he could have been preparing a snack for the ladies.

Something bright caught his eye and through the gaping hole on the enemy's ship, he saw a lit fuse going straight to the barrel of gunpowder.

"Shit." He muttered and quickly turned to everyone.

"Duck!" Sanji yelled but it was too late as the lit fuse reached the powder, resulting in an huge explosion.

Fire and hot wind radiated outwards from the destroyed ship, blasting them all back and sending shards and broken wood everywhere.

Sanji, Zoro, Usopp and Nami managed to hit the deck in time but not so much for the rest.

Robin was struggling to keep her eyes open from the blast of hot air in her face. Her balance was off as the ship rocked back and forth violently against the shock-wave of the explosion, that was why she failed to notice it in time.

"Robin!" Usopp cried out a warning and Robin peeled open her eyes just in time to see a large piece of broken wood flying straight at her. She couldn't react in time and was helpless to even use her Devil Fruit to avoid it. All she could think about was how careless she got.

However, she saw a flash of orange blur from the corner of her eye and the next thing she knew, warm sticky liquid splashed across her face as the little fox took the hit for her.

The impact from the wood sent her flying off the ship and into the waters below.

"YUUKI!!!" Luffy yelled and attempt to jump in after her but was quickly stopped by the Swordsman.

"Damn it Luffy! You can't swim!" He reminded him.

"B-But Yuuki!"

"Don't worry. I got her." Sanji quickly took off his coat and shoes and dove in after the little creature.

* * *

_Damn it... everything hurts.._ She thought to herself as she sank deeper and deeper into the darkness below.

_Why did I even do that? I must be crazy_.

But she knew she didn't regret it one bit. She enjoyed fighting with them which was weird because never once was any of her fights enjoyable. It was always about survival. But when she fought alongside with them, she felt alive. She felt like she belonged. It was weird but she didn't hate it. And when she saw that piece of debris flying towards the black-hair woman, she didn't hesitate at all but to fling herself at it to block it from hurting her. She took the hit for her and ended up sinking into the sea.

_What a way to go...._ She closed her eyes and felt the air leave her. She could feel herself slipping away. Being a Devil Fruit user, she was hated by the seas and cursed to never be able to swim. Her fox knew that and never let her venture anywhere near large amounts of water. Even a lake was considered dangerous to her.

But now as she sank deeper into the ocean floor, she could feel her fox slipping away, letting her human take charge again as she's too tired to hold onto her animal form anymore.

She felt hands grabbing onto her but she's too tired to fight it. She let her consciousness go and welcomed the darkness to take her.

* * *

Sanji was completely baffled. He dove into the sea expecting to rescue a drowning fox but instead what he got his arms was in fact a human—and a woman at that. Sure she was a little small but Sanji can tell a full grown woman from a girl from miles away being the flirtatious pervert he is.

When he broke out from the water's surface, he took a proper look at the woman and saw that she was very pretty. She was petite and a little pale which made her light brown hair streaked with orange stripes a bright contrast against her skin. Her ears were a little pointy at the tip and her face was sharp around the edges but overall, she's stunningly beautiful in Sanji's eyes.

Her thin, wet clothes stuck onto her skin, making her figure underneath clearly visible to Sanji.

He felt a nosebleed coming and quickly looked away, concentrating on swimming to the Merry instead. Now's not the time to be ogling at her, not when she's bleeding out.

The rope ladder was set down for him to climb onto and when he reached the deck, Chopper quickly rushed over to the woman in his arms.

"Sanji-kun, what happened? Where's Yuuki?" Nami asked with a confused look on her face.

Sanji didn't know how to explain to her considering that he also didn't really understand what just happened.

"Nami!" Chopper cried out, getting their attention. "I'll be borrowing your bed and could you get some clothes for her?" Nami nodded and went to do what the little doctor requested.

Chopper quickly turned into his heavy point and carried the woman in his arms into the women's bunks for her to be treated.

"I'll go cook some nutritious warm soup for her~" Sanji swooned and dances back to his kitchen while Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I wonder who she is and what is she doing out here?" Usopp mused to himself.

* * *

In the women's bunk, Chopper was busy cleaning up the mysterious girl's wounds.

The circumstances surrounding her were strange considering where they found her but Chopper was sure that this girl was the same fox from before. They both smelled the same and Chopper's nose is never wrong. Chopper didn't want to voice out his thoughts yet though, he was sure she had kept it a secret from everyone for a reason and it was not in his place to tell. He'll just have to wait for her to wake up and explain the situation to everyone but till then, Chopper will do his best to take care of her.

The piece of wood that slammed into her had made a deep cut in her stomach which was bleeding profusely but Chopper managed to clean and stitch it up nicely. The fall into the water had nearly drowned her so she'll be unconscious for a while. Chopper deduced that she must be a Devil Fruit user for her to be so affected by the sea.

He was a little excited to see another Zoan type user because you don't see them much. Pell and Dalton were nice but he never met anyone like her who prefer to live in her animal form.

He himself was an animal who chose to live among humans while she is a human who chose the opposite.

He wondered what her reasons were and did she get hurt by others due to her powers? Chopper knew that many Devil fruit users—like the ones in this crew—has been discriminated and feared in some places. He was rejected by his herd because of his blue nose and later his Devil Fruit but due to that, he got to meet Doctor Hiriluk and Doctor Kureha and eventually the Strawhats.

He was broken out of his thoughts when a groan sounded from the bed and he quickly got up to check on his patient.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you feel pain anywhere else besides your stomach?"

She stirred a little more and her eyes opened. Chopper noted that her eyes had the same color as when she was a fox; ember orbs that shone like burning coal.

She looked around in a daze before realizing where she was. Her eyes widen in shock and she sat up in a hurry, resulting in a hiss when she pulled onto her stitches.

"Don't get up yet!" Chopper panicked and gently put his hooves on her shoulders and guided her back to lie on the bed. "You're hurt. I got the pieces of wood out of your wound but there may be a risk of infection and you swallowed a lot of water when you almost drowned so you absolutely have to rest!" Chopper chided in his doctor's tone.

The girl looked scared and a little lost. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded her head slowly and complied.

"....Um...." Chopper mumbled hesitantly.

She turned her head at him and gave him a questioning look.

"....Did you also eat a Devil fruit?"

Fear flash across her eyes and Chopper quickly added. "Look! I'm also a devil fruit user and there's also 2 other on this ship so there's nothing to be afraid of!"

The girl didn't say a word but the fear was still in her eyes. Chopper wondered what the girl had gone through to get such haunted eyes; she was so much more carefree when she was a fox.

"Yuuki? Can you talk?" He asked because he wanted to make sure everything was okay with his patient and that includes psychologically too.

The girl again turned to look at him with surprise written all over her face before quickly turning into a resigned look.

"......Y-Yeah....." A soft voice croaked out from her and she coughed. Chopper immediately went to fetch a glass of water he prepared nearby and slowly lifted it to her lips. She was a little awkward with her hands as she fumbled with the cup; her fingers not working as she like and Chopper had an inkling that she may have spent her whole life as an animal for her to forget how human fingers work.

After she had her drink, Chopper decided to let her have her rest.

"The others have been asking about you while you were out, do you want to see them?" He asked and nodded when she shook her head. He anticipated that answer but was still a little disappointed.

"Okay. Rest well." Chopper whispered and shut the door softly.

* * *

As soon as Chopper exited the infirmary, he was bombarded by questions from the crew—well, mostly Luffy and Sanji.

"How is she?" Both of them asked the doctor.

"She's conscious. I patched up her wound but there may be infection so I have to watch over her for the first few days. But otherwise, she just needs more rest. And I mean absolute, _quiet_ rest, so no one is allowed to see her until I give the Okay." The little doctor glared and they got the message.

"Luffy, do you know who's that girl?" Nami asked.

"What're you talking about Nami?" Luffy frowned and looked at her as though she was dumb or something. "That's Yuuki!"

"What!" Most of the Strawhats all gasp out loud at the news while Chopper looked at Luffy in admiration.

"How did you know?" He asked, he didn't think Luffy's nose was as good as his.

"What do ya mean? It's obvious isn't it? She looks just like Yuuki!" Luffy explained though his explanation made no sense at all.

"What do you mean by she looks like Yuuki. Yuuki's a fox! And that's a girl!" Nami screeched. Sometimes his Captain makes her want to pull her hair out.

"No!" Luffy pouted childishly. "That's Yuuki!"

Nami sighed but didn't bother arguing any further.

"So I'm guessing that girl here ate a Devil Fruit?" Usopp speculated.

"....Yeah...She's a Zoan type." Chopper answered.

"I'm suspect the girl may have the Inu Inu no Mi: Fox Model." Robin added. "I read it somewhere in a book before that that particular fruit has a special property to it but I can't remember what..."

"She must have some reason that she rather stay as a fox then a human...." Sanji mused.

"Leave it. Whether she stay as a human or animal, it doesn't matter." Zoro gruffly said from the sides.

"I know damn marimo! I just don't want to see poor Yuuki-chan sad!"

"How do you know she's sad?" Chopper asked. He did sense that Yuuki was scared out of his mind about something but was she sad? He couldn't tell.

"I can sense a woman's tears from miles away!" Sanji boosted.

"What a useless skill...." Zoro muttered under his breath but the blond still heard it.

"What did you say idiot Swordsman?!"

And the two started their usual bickering again while the others ignored them and focus on the main issue at hand.

"So what are we going to do about her once she's up?" Nami asked.

"I'm going to ask her to join our crew!" Luffy proclaimed loudly with his hands in the air. "She's human but she can also turn into a badass fighting fox. She has got to join my crew!"

"Oh god Luffy....What about her opinion? You can't just expect her to say yes and go along with whatever you decide. Not everyone wants to join this crazy crew of yours..."

"Not anyone with a right mind of course...." Zoro muttered.

"Guys guys! Keep it down! She's resting!" Chopper shushed.

"All right...We can discuss this after she wakes and is well again. But for now, you should let her rest and stop pestering her to join alright Luffy?" Nami put her arms at her sides and glared at her captain.

"....Fine..." Luffy sulked but quickly bounced back when his stomach growled. "SANJI!! FOOD!!!"

"On it you damn rubber...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the votes and comments on the previous chapters! I'm glad that this story was well received. I hope you enjoyed this one too and please leave a comment on what you liked abt this. Thanks!<3


	4. Could this be it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuki has never had a place to call home. But with her new life on board the Merry, could she let herself hope for the impossible?

Yuuki couldn't sleep at all and for several reasons really.

One, she wasn't comfortable in a new environment. Her animal side told her that it's safe to sleep but her human side kept her guard up.

Two; she can't remember the last time she slept as her human self. All she knows was that every time she tries to sleep with her human body, her mind betrays her and starts to torture her with images of _that_ day—the day where she lost her home.

So she starts to sleep in her animal form which helps her a lot because her fox doesn't dream often and even if it does, it's always about eating huge chunks of meat or chasing rabbits through the woods. But since she can't change to her fox, she's stuck with her fragile human mind torturing her with unnecessary thoughts and stress, making her unable to even close her eyes.

Three; it was REALLY noisy outside. How could anyone expects to sleep with the chatter going on right outside the door?

And four, even in her human form, she can still hear really well. And right now she can hear every word they were saying about her. Her ears perked up when she heard her name being mentioned and her heart rate sped up.

She was frightened now that she's in her vulnerable, weak human skin. She doesn't have claws nor fangs nor even a warm coat to protect her and she feels just downright pathetic right now.

She tried to change back to her fox but the transformation wouldn't come. The fall into the water must have really tired her out plus her injuries hindered her movements a lot. She hasn't been this injured for a long time now because of her speed and her Devil Fruit powers but now that she was, it really sucked.

She wondered what they're going to do to her. She had never been in this situation before. No one had ever come close to seeing her in her human form. All those she came across only got to see her fox form and so far all of those people treated her horribly. If she was not welcomed anywhere as a fox, she doubt she could find a place that would welcome her as both.

However, this ship seemed to be filled with weirdos and misfits so maybe these people would be different?

She focused her attention once again to the door as Luffy's voice came booming throughout the ship.

"—She's a human but she can also turn into a badass fighting fox. She's has got to join my crew!"

Yuuki really didn't know what to say—or think for that matter.

She was glad that Luffy was still accepting of her even after discovering her secret. Luffy didn't seemed to care whether she's a fox or a human; he wanted her because she's herself.

That thought made her all warm inside and the fear inside of her dissipated.

And for once, she let herself indulge in the possibility of finding a place that would accept her for who she is.

"Oh god Luffy....What about her opinion? You can't just expect her to say yes and go along with whatever you decide. Not everyone wants to join this crazy crew of yours..." She heard the orange-head woman sighed tiredly. She has not learned everyone's names—except for Luffy's and Chopper's—because she thought she wouldn't need it but now she has second thoughts about it.

"Not anyone with a right mind of course..." The Swordsman muttered but Yuuki could still hear it from here.

She guessed she must be out of her mind then because she's even considering Luffy's offer.

"Guys guys! Keep it down! She's resting!" Chopper shushed and she smiled at hearing the concern in the reindeer's voice. He has showed nothing but care and concern over her ever since she first appeared on board their ship. And he's also the first who found out about her secret.

Not to mention he's also a Zoan Devil Fruit user and seems to be happy sailing with this crazy crew. She hopes she can find something like that for herself one day.

More words were spoken by the orange haired woman that sounded that a mother scolding her son before she heard Luffy's reluctant "Yes." followed by a loud bellow.

"SANJI!! FOOD!!!"

She can't help but chuckle at Luffy's childishness and immaturity despite being the captain of a pirate ship. And from what she heard from them, they are a pretty notorious pirate crew having impressive bounties on all members especially the Captain's even though she has never seen it yet.

So that brings her to the questions.

Can she trust them?

Would they accept her?

Would they be willing to take on the baggage she carries with her?

She has a whirlpool of questions in her head but decided to push it all aside for now and trust on her gut instincts. It wasn't as accurate as her animal instincts since humans are always slowed down by unnecessary things such as thoughts and emotions whereas animals just act on instincts. And right now, her instincts was telling her that it's safe here.

The questions can wait, for now she needs her rest.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she feels her body starts to relax. For once, she didn't have to keep her guard up. For once, she didn't need to feel afraid for her life. And for once, she feels so much at peace.

That night Yuuki had her first dreamless sleep sleeping as a human and she never felt so alive in a long time.

* * *

The next morning she was jolted awake by a loud yell from the deck and her first reaction was to run.

Her body tensed and she didn't realize she was still in her human form so she stumbled over her own two clumsy feet and fell off the bed and onto her face. That woke her up immediately and she remembered what happened the previous day that led her here. Her stomach was throbbing in pain for that stupid act she did and not only that, it rumbled in hunger.

Stupid stomach....

She contemplated on her options; she could either go out and see what all the commotion was about though she has a feeling she's better off not knowing or she could stay here and take refuge in the warmth of the blankets.

In the end, her curiosity won leading her to get up on her feet and off the comfortable bed. Walking was hard at first, she was used to walking on four feet for partially her whole life so walking on two made her unbalanced. She used the wall for support as she made her way to the door and even had trouble trying to open it with her stupid fingers.

She was getting real frustrated and can't wait to be able to revert back to her four-legged self again. But for now, she's stuck in her defenseless human skin.

Bright sunlight assaulted her sensitive eyes and she held out a hand to block it while squinting her eyes into slits. She never realize how light-sensitive human eyes can be and the wide spectrum they can see.

"YUUKI!!!"

She flinched when the loud sound reverberated throughout the ship and she resisted her first instincts to run and hide.

That ratty yellow hat appeared before her eyes and under that hat was Luffy with his big, wide smile beaming brightly at her.

"Yuuki! You're up! Come play with us!" He hopped up and down playfully and tugged at her arm.

"Luffy! She's still injured!" Chopper yelled, hopping over to whack his captain on the head for treating his patient like that.

Yuuki giggled at their interaction. She'd seen many different pirates during her time hopping ships but she'd never seen a group as strange as this before.

A rubber captain, a reindeer doctor, a foul-mouth cook, an alcoholic swordsman, a storytelling sniper, a money-obsessed navigator and she's not sure what an archaeologist is doing on a pirate ship but that's what makes it even more strange.

They're certainly a group of misfits and she's impressed that this boy here managed to get them all together on a ship different as they are.

And now she's here too.....

Is this just a coincidence?

"Hey Yuuki....are you sure you're alright to be walking around?" Chopper asked in a concern voice.

"Y-Yeah...." she croaked out, still not used to using her vocal cords to speak. She remembered words of course. She's not illiterate and still remembers all she learned from the kind people of Ohara who taught her words and all sort of useful things back when she first knew how to talk.

"I-I'm f-fine...." she hated the stutter in her speech but it's a start. At least she's speaking in proper words after so many years of silence.

She noticed the rest of the crew at the sides staring at her; silently observing with their keen eyes. She knew they'll not harm her but she still dislike to be under those scrutinizing gazes.

Especially from the Swordman's. She was sure he was on his guard around her and she couldn't blame him. She saw how protective the Swordsman was with his crew mates, especially so with a certain blond who seems oblivious to it all but she knows the Swordsman has dedicated himself to be the shield for the crew.

She had only spent not long with the Strawhats and already she can tell how much each member's dedication for the crew is. She willing to bet that each and every one are ready to do anything for one another including facing death.

"Hey Yuuki?"

Yuuki was a little surprised that Nami was the one who spoke up. She thought the woman disliked her seeing how she didn't like her as a fox and when she's a human, the Navigator kept staring at her uncomfortably. Yuuki didn't care much at first but now she found herself pondering about her behavior. Was it something she did? Or maybe her Devil fruit? Either way, she find herself hoping to get closer to the Navigator so that she could understand her better. This was the first time she had this kind of thought and it honestly surprised her that she's taking interest in getting close to another human being.

Yuuki nodded to her and the she gave her a strained smile.

"....How's your injury?" She asked.

Yuuki was a little taken aback by the question. She thought she would ask something else related to her powers but she answered her.

"Itchy. Hurts a little, but fine." She was proud of herself for not stuttering once. Even though it was not a complete sentence, at least she made progress.

Nami nodded more to herself than to her and turned to Robin who walked towards her with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you at last Yuuki-san. Thank you for the save yesterday."

Yuuki tried to come up with something to answer her with but the words was too much for her to process.

No one has ever thanked her before. It was a strange feeling; strange but pleasant. She didn't do it because she wanted the praise, her body moved before she knew it and that fact still puzzled her.

Speechless, she nodded her head in acknowledgment to her gratitude, not knowing how to answer to that kind of situation.

There was an moment of silence before it was broken by another loudmouth.

"Yuuki-chan!!! I'm so glad you're up!" The Cook came dancing towards her with a metal tray in hand filled with a bowl of soup and some small treats.

"Here." The blond kneel down in front of her and offered the bowl of soup to her. "I made it especially for you."

Yuuki knew that the blond was a big flirt with anything with boobs but this was too much. She never had anyone treat her like this before and truthfully she was unnerved by it. She rather be ignored than to be looked at like how the Cook was staring at her right now—love-struck eyes with his mouth agape—as though she was someone to be admired.

She never thought of herself that way. She never thought of what others might think because survival was always on her mind and nothing else. Yet now, for the first time, she's experiencing so many new emotions and it's starting to overwhelm her.

Nami seems to noticed the uncomfortable expression of her face and quickly stepped up and whacked the Cook in the head. Luckily, he held the bowl properly and didn't spill it but pouted at the navigator.

"Give the girl some space idiot." Nami huffed and Sanji immediately looked apologetically at her but before he could apologize, Yuuki cut him off.

"No need. I—" Her tongue got tangled and she shook her head angrily at herself before trying to talk again.

"Thank you." She accepted the bowl gratefully and was glad that the Cook didn't go love-mode on her but instead offered her a soft smile.

Taking the bowl carefully with her hands, she could feel the heat on her palms. It was completely different compared to when she had fur but a nice feeling all the same.

She tipped the bowl back towards her mouth and drank the warm soup in two big gulps, sighing as she finished the last drop.

Even in human form, the blond's cooking was still as marvelous as ever, if not even more delicious since her human tongue can taste more complex flavors compared to her fox's.

She can feel her whole body relaxing as the warmth of the soup traveled through her body and feel her body getting revitalized with new energy. If a simple soup can make her feel like that, then what about solid foods?

Specifically, meat.

Grinning, she turned to the Cook.

"I'm hungry. Got any meat?"

As soon as she said that, Luffy whoop in joy and pounced on the blond.

"SANJI!! MEAT!!"

"Alright you shitty rubber! I'll go prepare it right now." Sanji growled and tried to pull the rubber man away from him but failing to do so.

Giving up, he walked out of the room with Luffy clinging onto him like a bear and the others giggled.

Yuuki couldn't help but laugh. And it was a loud one, something she never hear herself doing before. It was high and clear, a little like her fox's howl.

She wasn't afraid that the others would judge her for having a weird laugh. She knew they were not like that.

Yeah. This ship was not like any others.

She feels safe here. She feels at home; something she thought she would never have the pleasure of experiencing.

Maybe she finally found it? Maybe this was really it?

Could she allow herself to hope?

So many questions but right now she feels too at ease to care. She was surrounded by friends, by comrades, by nakama.

And she'd never been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah.... I've not been on AO3 much lately cus I'm been quite ill. Been so lethargic lately and all I want to do is sleep. Feel like a pig right now...
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for those who voted and commented on the previous ones.  
Love ya all!<3


	5. Fleeting Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a normal day for the Strawhats to relax and take a breather.

  
It was a relaxing day for the Strawhats; the seas were calm, the wind was gentle and there was not a ship in sight. Just the Merry and her loud residents.

It has been 2 days and Yuuki was feeling a lot better but still not enough to transform yet. Chopper warned her not to transform while the stitches were still the only thing holding her stomach together. Transforming may undo the stitches and result in worsening the wound, something Yuuki definitely did not want happening. So human it is.

She wasn't complaining though.

For the first time, she found herself feeling at ease surrounded by people in her human form. They accepted her and she was extremely grateful for that acceptance.

Plus, she gets to eat as much meat as she wants, courtesy of the blond Cook.

Who knew there were so many different tastes to meat that could be so mouth-watering?

Speaking of the Cook, Yuuki now understands why the Swordsman was always calling the blond 'Love-Cook'. That man flirts with anything female! Even her!

She can't see the appeal in her human form. She doesn't have a big chest nor does she have a big behind. Her face is small as is the rest of her body. Her long hair's a mess because she has not cleaned it in a long time and dirt covered every inch of her body, especially in her scalp.

She didn't really care though. Survival has always been the first priority to her and appearances was something she considered unimportant to her survival. Thus, she never bothered about how she looked like or care.

But now that the Cook has been constantly fawning over her like a love-sick fool, she was beginning to feel more aware of herself and getting self-conscious about it—something that she never thought she would feel.

Luckily for her, Nami caught on and scolded the blond to back off and thankfully he did but not without a lot of fuss over how sorry he was. Yuuki nodded her thanks to the orange-haired woman who she found wasn't as scary as she originally thought. The Navigator was kind to her, speaking gently to her and even lending her clothes since Yuuki obviously doesn't have any. She even took the responsibility to get her cleaned up which includes her getting into her first bath in years.

The hot shower was smoothing and she never thought water could be so comforting instead of terrifying due to her devil fruit. And the smell of the shampoos was pleasant to her nose but painful to the eyes.

After her shower, Nami helped her get dressed and even combed her hair for her before going to the galley where the others were.

She had settled on wearing a bright, yellow sunflower dress that flows down to her knee. She couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress but she quite like the feeling of the fabric swishing around her knees. Nami let her try on some jeans at first but she hated the feeling of her legs being restricted so she preferred the dress instead, though she quite dislike the color but she's not one to complain over free stuff.

Walking towards the galley, she started to salivate when the smell of meat drifted through the windows and she couldn't help but speed-walk the rest of the way there.

"Welcome my lovely Yuuki-channn~~" The Cook exclaimed with too much enthusiasm but Yuuki's attention was on the food on the table.

These past 2 days has been great. There was never a time where she was hungry or cold. She didn't have to worry about where to sleep or where to go. For now, she's safe on this ship and she trust the Strawhats not to harm her.

All the Strawhats gathered in the galley and sat down at the table which was already filled with plates of goodness. She sat down next to Nami and quickly dug in with her hands, stuffing the meat into her mouth and swallowing it without barely chewing on it. She nearly choked but Nami quickly put a glass of water in front of her and she gratefully gulped it down.

"Relax Yuuki-chan, there's plenty of food to go around." Nami assures.

She smiles through a mouthful of food and resumes her onslaught of food.

After the whole food mess, Sanji promptly cleaned up the table and offered the ladies fruit juice he made, Japanese tea for Zoro (it's too early for booze dammit!), carbonated juice for Usopp and chocolate milk for Chopper.

Yuuki gulped down the juice gratefully, relishing in the feeling of having the cooling liquid flow down her throat and tingling her tastebuds.

After the cooling refreshments, they stayed in the galley, each doing their own thing. Usopp stayed in his little corner working on his gadgets, Chopper doing the same with his rumble balls. Nami was reading the newspaper at the table and Robin was reading a book. Sanji was busy washing the dishes along with Zoro reluctantly helping him in fear of losing his booze and Luffy just laid his head on the table looking bored.

Yuuki just sat on the chair, belly full and content as she took the chance to absorb all these in. She never had something so peaceful before and she wants to take the opportunity to appreciate it before something unexpected comes along and threatens to take it all away.

"I'm borrrrrrreeddd......." Luffy whined.

"Go find something to do then." Nami said without looking up from her paper.

"Zzoooorrrrooo play with meeeeee....."

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Zoro snapped, lifting up a plate that he was washing to show the boy.

"Yuuuukkiiiiii....."

"Oh no. I'm still wounded remember? No moving about." Yuuki grinned. She was playing dirty by using her wound as an excuse but she rather not be used as Luffy's entertainment today. Besides, she was too full to get up right now.

"Ehhhhhh......no funnnnn...." Luffy continued to whine and pout but everyone just ignored their captain. They were to use to their captain's childish whines and games so they can easily tune him out when needed to.

After a while, Luffy's whines died down and he started to entertain himself by annoying the others. He went to Sanji and Zoro first but it was a big mistake and he was quickly kicked so hard in the head that his eyes started seeing stars. He slunk back to the table and slumped his head on the table once more before his eyes focused on the book Robin was reading.

"The...The Golden.....B....Be...." Luffy struggled with the word and Yuuki decided to take pity on him and help the guy out.

"The Golden Bough. It is the main branch of a tree." Yuuki explained. For a moment, the title of the book seemed familiar to her, like she seen it before, maybe even read it.

"Wow. I'm impressed Yuuki." Nami grinned.

"Please. That was nothing. And I bet your captain can't read that well on a daily basis." Yuuki deadpanned.

All of them turned to stare at Luffy, who was frowning intensely at the pages of the book but his expression clearly showed that he didn't understand anything written on it at all.

Everyone sighed and nodded their heads sadly in agreement.

"So Yuuki-san, Where did you learn how to read?" Robin asked. She was curious about her story since it's not everyday you meet a person who rather lives as an animal. It intrigues her to know why.

"The people of Ohara taught me." She simply replied and shrugged. She didn't really think it was such a great deal if she could read or not.

Suddenly, she sense the atmosphere around turn still and everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ohara?!" Nami yelled, startling her so much that she jumped. She almost wanted to transform back to her animal form but barely managed to hold on to her human body before she almost do something stupid to her wound.

"What's wrong Nami?" Luffy titled his head in question, not understanding her shock but Nami didn't reply him. Instead she was staring at Robin whose mouth is opened in shock and eyes wide in disbelief.

Even Zoro who was always looking disinterested in everything seems alert to the conversation.

"Y-You're from....Ohara?" She spoke slowly and carefully, as though the name of her village would start bringing up bad memories for her.

"Not really." Yuuki shrugged, feeing a little uncomfortable from the bewildered stares that everyone is giving her.

"I'm not from anywhere. I just live in the forest and sometimes the villagers from the nearby town gave me food." She explained.

"The villagers? From Ohara?" Robin asked. Everyone can see that she's trying to keep her composure but barely holding on to her calmness.

"Yeah. I like them. They were always looking through their books all day and there's even a funny looking old man with funny hair-like leaves sticking out of his head!" She giggled when she recalled that weird looking human who had provided her food during days where she couldn't find any on her own.

"He was a weird human. But he was kind and he gave me food. Among the humans, he was one of the few that treated me like I was normal even though he knew I have Devil Fruit powers. He taught me many things I never thought I would even need to know." She whispered as she looked down at her hands.

Yes, even though she tried not to think about it, she really does miss her old home and the people who lived there. Even after traveling for all these years, she never really found a place where she can truly relax and be accepted. She was neither human nor animal. She doesn't know where she truly stands. She couldn't just throw her human side away as much as she wishes to but at the same time, she doesn't know how to live as one. Her fox side pretty much provided her with everything she needs and yet she's still feeling as though she's missing something inside of her. It frustrates her knowing that she'll never be at ease despite her constant traveling and still, she found nothing for her efforts for all these years.

"Professor Clover...." Robin muttered.

"Robin. You know who she's talking about?" Nami asked.

"Yes. Professor Clover is the director of the Ohara Library, and a leading authority on archaeology."

"So, you know him too? How?" Yuuki tilted her head in question.

"Well...." Robin paused, having it difficult to talk about her hometown even after so many years passed. "Like you, he was my teacher too. He was a kind man who taught me all I know about archaeology even when everyone else around me objected to it. The citizens of Ohara saw me as a monster due to my Devil Fruit but Professor Clover never once treated me differently and looked over me like how a father would." Robin smiled solemnly into the space in front of her, seemingly lost in her memories.

Yuuki stilled and after a moment a bright grin appeared on her face.

"I knew it...." she muttered.

"Knew what?" Nami asked.

"I thought you smell familiar but I wasn't sure but if you're from Ohara then I must have smelled you before during my visits to the old man!" Yuuki exclaimed.

This revelation was exciting for her. To meet a fellow survivor from Ohara. She thought she was the only one. She thought all of the people were gone.

But to think that she'd find someone from Ohara on this random ship she decided to catch a ride on, the chances were practically zero.

And yet here she is.

If this was not a miracle, she didn't know what was.

The two stared at one another for a while, both not knowing what to say. There was just too much to ask and Yuuki didn't want to purposely force Robin to drag out bad memories from that day yet she desperately wanted to know and understand why those people did it.

It never really occurred to her to find out the truth herself. After all, she was only just a lone fox that was desperately trying to survive the day. Her fox didn't let her have the time to think about anything else other than survival then but right now, her human mind was in control and she just had to know the truth.

Luckily for Yuuki, it seems like Robin was thinking the same thing too because she glance at Yuuki hesitantly and asked.

"If I may....could I ask how you escaped?" She asked, her voice slow and soft. It must be hard for her to think about her hometown too, even after all these years.

"It was mostly luck I think...." Yuuki frowned, trying to think back on that day.

"I had just came back from my walk around town when it happened. I was in the forest where I usually spent my time at when suddenly, an explosion sent me flying. I think I blacked out for a while but when I woke up, the whole forest was on fire and their were so much smoke in the air. I wanted to go back to the village but my fox told me to find cover as the danger wasn't over yet. So I ran." Yuuki had to pause to catch her breath.

Memories were pouring out in her head as she talked and it was slowly overwhelming her. She didn't even know how much it had affected her until she started talking about it. She supposed it was thanks to her fox that kept those horrible memories away because her animal self wouldn't bother about the past and instead focus on the present.

"I ran towards the beach where there were numerous huge ships docked. There were a lot of men wearing white and holding guns walking about but I managed to quickly dart passed them and made my way onto the ship. I hid there for a long time until I felt the ship move and when it stopped, I quickly took off and found myself on some island I didn't recognize. From then on, I started moving from island to island through hiding on ships and that's how I found your ship." She finished with a exhausted sigh.

"The men in white must be the marines." Nami voiced out what everyone must be thinking.

"Yuuki, did you hear anything from the marines?" Robin asked with a serious expression.

Yuuki frowned as she searched through her memories but it was jumbled.

"I don't know. I was too out of it to understand human speech then. Even if they did say something, I wouldn't be able to understand...." Yuuki looked down, feeling disheartened that she couldn't provide the answers she wanted.

"Thank you...." Robin whispered.

Yuuki didn't know what she was thanking her for. For telling her all that? Or for being alive? She didn't understand but decided to leave it at that seeing how lost the raven haired woman was.

"Um......If it's alright with you, would you please tell me more about the Professor and the villagers?" Yuuki fidgeted. "I would like to know more about them and also about you...."

Robin smiled softly at her. "Sure. I'd like to know more about you too."

Yuuki felt a surge of warmth inside of her. A feeling she couldn't explain but made her feel content and happy. She never knew how another human can make her feel that way seeing as she never bothered to sought out any human companions or had any interactions with them.

But this feeling is nice. Talking seems nice and so has many other human things that she long forgotten ever since living her life as a fox.

Maybe living as a human wouldn't be so bad? Especially with the company of these unique people.

But a small voice still lingers in the back of her mind.

_Mustn't forget._

Yes. She mustn't forget why she's on the run in the first place. She needs to constantly move and never let herself settle down at one place for too long lest they discover her.

But that doesn't mean she can't let herself indulge in this feeling of peace now right? After all, she is still on a ship—a ship that's constantly on the move and that counts as moving right?

At least that was what she keeps telling herself as she watched on with a grin at that crazy Strawhat captain wrestling with Long-nose and Chopper.

She knew this wouldn't last. But she'll damn well enjoy every moment of it until the day comes when she have to leave.

She just hoped it'll be an easy feat to pull off....


End file.
